head to head · open source
Payload vs halo
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars, 4,164 forks, 1,127 open issues and last shipped yesterday. halo has 39,787 stars, 10,329 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Payload leads on adoption by 13% (44,793 vs 39,787 stars). Payload is written in TypeScript under MIT; halo is written in Java under GPL-3.0. Payload has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, halo 26%. Payload was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (cms, content-management-system), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Payload | halo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 40K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 10K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Payload if
- You weight community size — 45K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick halo if
- You want the halo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and halo fits your workflow better
About Payload
Payload is an open source, MIT licensed headless CMS and fullstack framework, written in TypeScript and built to run natively inside a Next.js /app folder, aimed at developers who want a TypeScript backend and admin panel without signing up for another SaaS.
read the full Payload overview →
About halo
Halo is an open source, Java based website building tool licensed under GPL 3.0 that lets individuals and teams publish and run a blog, knowledge base, corporate website, or online store from infrastructure they control.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Payload or halo more popular?
Payload has 44,793 GitHub stars and halo has 39,787. Payload has the larger community by that measure.
Are Payload and halo free?
Both are open source. Payload is licensed under MIT and halo under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Payload and halo?
Payload is written in TypeScript and halo in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Payload or halo?
Choose Payload if you want the larger community (44,793 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose halo if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.